Though much was made about the absence of key player and top goalscorer Luis Suarez against West Ham, Liverpool came away with three points, thanks in no small part to Jonjo Shelvey, who, playing as a false number nine, was involved in Liverpool's second goal as well as their winner. The decision to field Shelvey in a role still uncommon in English football is just the latest in a series of tactical surprises sprung by Liverpool's coach to try and get one over their rivals, and it shows that Rodgers is arguably the most adventurous coach in the Premier League. talkSPORT look at the various systems used by Rodgers at Anfield, and ask if Liverpool are now the most versatile team in England...

4-3-3 - Rodgers' favoured formation
The starting formation Rodgers has favoured most in the league this season is an attacking 4-3-3, with Luis Suarez playing through the middle as a traditional centre forward. The Uruguayan tends to be joined by Raheem Sterling as one of the wide forwards, usually on the left, while either Jonjo Shelvey or Suso complete the front three. Neither Suso nor Shelvey like to hug the touchline, with both tending to come inside and get involved in the build up play, and that in turn creates plenty of space for the full-backs on the overlap. On the other side, Sterling's directness and pace compliments the skill and finishing prowess of Luis Suarez in the middle, giving Liverpool a formidible, attacking front three. Liverpool's recent victory over Southampton showed how dangerous they can be with a 4-3-3 shape, and the Reds should have won the game by a clearer margin.

4-2-3-1 - Wigan thrashed
At times this season Rodgers has opted for a slightly more conservative 4-2-3-1 rather than a 4-3-3 as his starting shape, though in truth the shape has had limited success. In fact, the only league game Liverpool have won using the 4-2-3-1 as their starting formation this season was against Wigan in November, though on that occasion the shape proved to be an inspired decision. Wigan's three man defence meant that, instead of having a defender for every one of Liverpool's forwards as would be the case if the Reds used a 4-3-3, the Lactics instead had three players against one, with Suarez the only nominal forward for Liverpool in the 4-2-3-1, and that meant shortcomings for Wigan elsewhere on the pitch. That in turn resulted in Wigan being particularly exposed to runners from deeper positions, so it's no surprise that Jose Enrique's surging drive forward from defence set up Suarez for the second goal in the match, while the third came from the full-back himself.

3-5-1-1/3-5-2 - Points made against the Blues
It isn't just in the forward line that Rodgers has altered Liverpool's shape this season, as the coach has also experimented with a back three on several occasions. The Reds boss opted for an unorthodox 3-4-1-2 starting shape against Chelsea in November, with Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique clearly playing as wing-backs rather than full-backs. The idea on that occasion was that Liverpool's wing-backs would press Chelsea's wingers and get beyond them to help the Reds attack, though in truth they had limited success. Rodgers used a three-man defence more successfully against Everton in the Merseyside derby in October, however. Rodgers had started the game with a 4-3-3, but in the second half opted to switch the shape to a 3-5-1-1 with Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling as the central strikers. After the change, Sterling was particularly dangerous on the break, while at the back, the tactical switch helped Liverpool to stifle Everton's strikers, with their three man back line always having a spare defender to help deal with the two most advanced Everton players, Nikica Jelavic and Marouane Fellaini.

4-3-3 with a false number nineA further adjustment Rodgers has made this season has been using Jonjo Shelvey as a false number nine rather than fielding a traditional centre forward. Admittedly, against West Ham that was arguably out of necessity, with Luis Suarez suspended, but nonetheless, Rodgers had previously used Shelvey in that role against Young Boys in the Europa League, suggesting the Liverpool coach is prepared to rely on the system in the right scenario. Against West Ham, Liverpool's second goal of the game was a perfect advert for how to play the false number nine role well. Shelvey started the move by peeling off his marker and dropping deep to receive the ball, before playing a give-and-go with Raheem Sterling, who then went on to feed the ball through to Joe Cole for the finish, with the former West Ham man finishing the move in a more advanced position than Shelvey. In a nutshell, Shelvey started the move in a striker's position, but by the time the finishing touch was applied, he was in an advanced midfield role, causing confusion in the opposition defence and creating room for his team-mates to get into the box. Brendan Rodgers summed up Shelvey's performance in the position well, noting that he "dropped into midfield and combined with the midfield players to make the fourth man, and was a threat when he was in around the box, showing great feet".

Verdict
It seems the 4-3-3 with a false number nine is another weapon for Liverpool this season, joining the three man defence, 4-2-3-1 and classic 4-3-3 in Brendan Rodgers' bag of tricks. Rodgers may yet opt for another surprise tactical change in the near future, though good luck trying to guess what it may be. One thing is certain, Liverpool are proving a difficult team to predict in 2012/13.

Do you agree? Are Liverpool now the most versatile team in the Premier League? Leave a comment below and have your say..